Skatie happy in the Big Yard

You might think you know all that there is to calypsonian Skatie, but you’d be wrong.

For starters, Skatie (born Carlos James) doesn’t put on any airs, even though he has recently been crowned Young King for 2003. Ask this Arima native about his now fourth entry into the Big Yard... “Boy, I just so glad to be part of that final nine,” he smiled. “Is over 3,000 calypsonians that come in to get chosen for this competition, so you must feel like you win already! I just going to really enjoy myself on that stage, because the winning really comes secondary to me... it’s an accomplishment on its own just being chosen for that show.”

Skatie’s career began in 1986; back then he was known as an entertainer. (“That is how I support my family,” he quipped.) His foray into calypso began as a member of the TUCO East Zone’s Kaiso Caravan (a roving tent) before eventually ending up at Kitch’s Revue, where he presently performs to a packed house. His singing takes him abroad throughout the year, visiting New York, London and other parts of the Caribbean to do shows, but once that is over he takes a good rest. When it comes to his two main compositions for the Big Yard, Skatie just tells it like it is. His first offering, “In Just Six Years” is a rather satirical yet humorous take on what “Panday and them do while they was there,” according to the bard. “But I not worried about people saying is a anti-UNC tune,” he admitted.

“You’ll always get that kind of thing, regardless of what you sing. Look right now, if you go in the chutney tent, you could hear them how they bashing the PNM government raw, raw... and is every night! And they not even cleaning it up like how I clean up my tune neither. I just basically highlighting what Panday do the country for the six years they were there, that is all. And it making people laugh.” The song was written by Skatie and composer Stephen Rabathali, who gets full writing credits for his second offering, “One man and One Man Alone”, a song that has already gleaned heaps of positive accolades. Their musical union began a few years ago, when Skatie had decided to enter the Political Monarch contest. He placed fourth, and their friendship was cemented. “Back in the day, the first Monarch competition I entered, I wrote my own tune, you know? But Stephen is a great writer and this tune is one that I consider as something patriotic,” said Skatie. “I like to think of it as my international song. I sing about the trials, tribulations and contributions that one man (alone) can make and have made in history. People like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, even Moses from the Bible, these are people that have made many sacrifices, but they stand alone and make a difference. Even our own Dr Eric Williams and Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro have been mentioned in this song too, and everybody saying how much they like it, it’s a positive song.”

Skatie gave his most rousing performance at the Young Kings competition last February 24, where he tied with Roger George for first place. He had entered the Young Kings contest before (on three separate occasions), but he admitted that he felt like he had ‘it’ after doing just his first tune. “I couldn’t have done better,” he said, beaming. “I know I came off powerful in the first rendition and I could just feel it. My songwriter Stephen was backstage and when I finish singing the first one, I came backstage and tell him, ‘Boy ah reaaaal perform!’ I could feel it inside, man. I really feel proud.” Skatie even has a CD available, entitled One of a Kind, which contains seven tracks. The sixth song is a political one, the seventh is his Soca Parang composition. “I had done a soca parang tune called ‘Old Fowl Sweet’ either last year or year before... Well, you could find it on the CD too. Plus a next tune I have called Trini Posse, it’s a really nice jump up song.”

Preparing for the stage comes like ‘nutting’ for Skatie. Having gotten used to travelling and performing abroad, he admitted he no longer has stage fright. “All I do now is to relax myself, then sing. I don’t get frightened again like long time, when I now starting out. What really prepares you for the stage is doing other shows, so you get accustomed to all kinds of crowds. I even perform at the Mas Camp Pub from time to time, so is nutting, man. I good.” So how does he feel going against stalwarts like Singing Sandra and Chalkdust at the upcoming Dimanche Gras? “Well, let me put it like this. I feel that everybody has great songs to begin with, so I know the show will be nice. Whatever turn up in the results, I happy with that. If I win, I happy. If I lose I happy. But like I said before, being in that nine, I done accomplish something. So in my mind, I know I win already, just by being there.”